Mellon
by LondonBelow
Summary: Legolas encounters two-year-old Estel for the first time.


Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any characters and/or places thereof  
  
The purpose of this series is to provide one-chapter stories which, put together, make up a longer story, but also may be read individually and make sense.  
  
*****  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Legolas jumped and nearly dropped the books he was carrying in surprise. Though he knew only a little in the speech of Men, this phrase he understood. Who spoke those words in Imladris? He looked about until his eyes lit on a small boy sitting atop a table.  
  
He could not have been more than seven summers. With his legs each forming a V shape, the boy had the soles of his unshod feet pressed together. Feathery black hair hung just below his shoulder and he had a rather goofy smile plastered on his face. Legolas smiled. "Who are _you_?" he asked in response.  
  
"Ada says I'm Estel!" he cried happily, not seeming to know what he was saying precisely. In fact, Legolas was certain that the boy could not say what "ada" meant in his language, and the name he announced for himself probably meant nothing to his ears.  
  
The young prince smiled. "And how old are you, Hope?" he asked slowly, not terribly proficient with this tongue.  
  
A puzzled expression adopted his features. "My name is Estel," he said. "I have two summers," he added proudly.  
  
"That is the word for 'Hope' in my tongue," Legolas answered carefully. Estel began giggling, showing miniature teeth as he did. "What did I say?" Legolas asked, and Estel managed to calm himself long enough to point at his mouth. Legolas blinked, then he realized and laughed also. How he had forgotten! But. . ."Two summers?" Legolas asked in surprised. Then it occurred to him: a little boy who spoke the tongue of Men and had two summers. . ."A mortal!"  
  
"What's that?" Estel asked. "What is a mortal?"  
  
Legolas suddenly flushed with heat. How to answer such a question was outside of the scope of his knowledge. "Would you like to play a game?" Legolas asked at last. Estel's eyes brightened and he nodded enthusiastically. "What shall we play then?" Legolas asked. He had not been a child in some time, and so no games came swiftly to mind.  
  
Estel's eyes widened. "We never used to play very much at home," he said. "If we went too far there were bad, bad monsters! So we used to stay and help the mamas."  
  
"Did you?" Legolas asked. Monsters? He knew of those well, coming from Mirkwood Forest, but did not know of any very awful things plaguing the kingdoms of Men--Gondor and Rohan to the south, Arnor in the north. Where did this boy hail from? He seemed too dark for the Rohirrim. "Well. . .how about 'Hide the Thing'?" He vaguely recalled this game from when he was small. "I will hide this. . .er. . .this. . .brooch--" he quickly took the brooch from his cloak and folded the material onto the table top "--and you find it!"  
  
Estel looked at him sidewise. "What if I saw you hide it?"  
  
"You must close your eyes," Legolas answered. Nodding gravely Estel did, and sat patiently on the table while Legolas looked about the room. Obviously the little tyke would never find something hidden above the level of, well, the second shelf of books. Crouching low, Legolas placed the brooch atop a large book which he would have bet money was incredibly boring. He never had been an academic one. "All right, Hope, open your eyes!" Legolas said. "You may look now."  
  
Looking mightily confused, Estel turned to Legolas. Legolas looked at him, confused, until Estel lifted his arms and Legolas wondered how in Arda he had gotten onto the table to begin with. "Come on then," Legolas said, and lifted Estel to the ground.  
  
In moments the entire library had been looked over, and Estel held a brooch in his hands. "That was easy!" he cried happily. "Now you close _your_ eyes!" Taken by surprise, Legolas understood that Estel would now be hiding the brooch. He closed his eyes and waited, listening to the sounds of the mortal child's footsteps clump-clump-clumping around the room. "Now you open your eyes and look, um. . ." Estel searched his brief memory.  
  
"You never said your name," Estel continued at last. "I said mine but you never said yours."  
  
"Didn't I? My name is Legolas. That means Green Leaf." Legolas offered this bit of trivia to Estel because he so seemed to enjoy knowing useless little facts.  
  
"Why are you called Green Leaf?" Estel asked. "You are not a green leaf!" He giggled again.  
  
"Aren't I?" Legolas held out his arms and surveyed himself in mock surprise. "Well, I'll be! As it would happen, as I come from the forest I represent the forest. Therefore Green Leaf means not only me, but also the forest. It is a tribute to my roots."  
  
The words represent and tribute puzzled Estel, but the suggestion of a person with roots amused him. "I like you!" he said. "You're silly and you play good!"  
  
The conversation might have come to a halt then, had it not been saved by the entrance of Lord Elrond. "So I see you two have met," he said.  
  
"Ada!" Estel cried and he held out his arms for a hug.  
  
Legolas blinked in surprise as Elrond lifted the young boy from the floor and balanced Estel against his hip. "Ada?" Legolas asked. "With no intended disrespect, Elrond--" the two had long been known to one another and so were on terms barring titles as unnecessary "--I believed your Lady--"  
  
Elrond help up a hand for silence. "It will be discussed later," he said in rapid Elvish, swiftly speaking that Estel might not understand. "As for now, Little One," he addressed the child, "it would appear to be nearly time for you to have your nap."  
  
"Don't want to," Estel protested. "I want to stay here and talk to the tree."  
  
Elrond looked at Estel in confusion, then Estel pointed at Legolas and Elrond laughed. "What is it?" Legolas asked.  
  
"My dear friend, Estel had bestowed upon you a new name. He has referred to you as 'the tree.'"  
  
Legolas blushed, but chuckled. "You silly little rogue," he said to Estel.  
  
Estel stuck out his tongue. At first Legolas thought this was an insult, then he recalled his earlier mistake in using the wrong translation of 'tongue.' He chortled quietly. "Can I stay with you, please?" Estel asked.  
  
Legolas smiled at him. Being the youngest in his family, he had never encountered a child quite so young before. "If your ada says you need to have a nap, then you should have a nap. Perchance we will see each other again at the evening meal."  
  
"Ada," Estel asked, "must I have a nap?"  
  
"You absolutely must," Elrond answered. Over the past few days, he had learned the result of depriving a two-year-old of his afternoon nap.  
  
Estel, for whom emotions were quite simplistic, felt very sad. "Promise that I can see 'Las again at the evening meal?" he asked.  
  
Elrond nodded. "I absolutely promise," he answered. "Now, bid him farewell and we will be on our way."  
  
"G'bye, 'Las!" Estel called obediently as he was carried from the room, his eyelids heavy with sleep.  
  
"Namaarie, mellon-nin!" Legolas called in reply. "Till next we meet."  
  
When the door closed behind the two, Legolas sat at the table on which Estel had perched earlier and began reading. It was not until he gathered up his cloak to leave for the evening meal that he realized he had not found the brooch, and it was now hidden somewhere in Lord Elrond's library.  
  
*****  
  
The End  
  
Author's note: When Legolas refers to Estel as having seven summers, he thinks that Estel is an elf. Seven summers would be about the equivalent of a child just over one year or just under three. 


End file.
